Dual pitched, square, low profile, galvanized metal roof flashing for rigid tubular daylighting systems.

ABSTRACT

A galvanized metal flashing for the rooftop portion of a rigid tubular sunlight system, consisting of a flashing assembly (det.  12 ), with square walls, two of which are tilted at an angle of 5 degrees off vertical (det.  14 ), having an inner plate tilted at 15 degrees off horizontal (det.  16 ), and a center hole in said inner plate (det.  20 ), said hole providing a connection with a commercial rigid sunlight tube (det.  22 ).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a substitute application for provisional application number U.S. Ser. No. 61/506,339 dated Jul. 11, 2011.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to the tubular daylighting industry. Specifically to roof flashings that connect to rigid tube type sunlight sources for homeowner/commercial housing.

2. Description of Prior Art

Various rooftop fixtures have been designed for daylighting systems intended to provide natural light in interior rooms of houses. Some of these fixtures are simply skylights with no tubular connection to project sunlight into the said room. Other fixtures have been designed to connect to reflective tubes which have demonstrated an ability to refract sunlight more evenly into said rooms, than simple skylights. However, housing owners have been reluctant to accept many of these tubular daylighting systems for a number of reasons. One such reason has to do with the high profile created on the roof by some roof flashings. Examples of this high profile system are: U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,977 B1 to Chao, et al. which

allows a high visibility roof profile. One notable product has a 15 inch height, measuring from the lowest point of the flashing to the top of the bubble. Such roof fixtures are not allowed by most homeowner associations, and cannot be installed on any home within said association. Other examples of this are: U.S. 2005/0081462 A1, 2005, to Mulford et al. Many homeowners are not inclined to install these types of products due to the fact that they call attention to, rather than complement said roof profile.

A common homeowner objection to existing flashings is that they are round in shape. A round shape on most roof profiles does not have a pleasing, professional appearance. They tend to produce an old-fashioned round “bubble” look. As an example of this, look again at U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,977,B1, 2001, to Chao. Many homeowners, and almost all homeowner associations reject this old-fashioned look and will not allow its use.

A third objection to current roof flashings for the tubular sunlighting industry is that they are made of plastic materials. Such flashings have a relatively short use life due to degradation of the plastic. This degradation can cause cracking and/or distortion of the flashing allowing for leaks and loss of thermal insulation. Additionally, such plastic flashings are not up to code on any fire rated roofs, (for example, the ‘California State Licensing Board’).

Yet another objection to some flashing products is that, although they are low profile, their construction requires the use of an accordion type tube system in order to align them from the roof angle to the ceiling angle. Such accordion style tubes are not as efficient in reflecting sunlight as a straight wall tube. Examples of this low profile flashing using said accordion type tubing are U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,031 B2, 2011, to O'Hagin, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,216 B2, 2005, and U.S. Pat. No. 6.604,329 B2, to Hoy, et al. Such limitations on light transmission makes this product a somewhat less desirable item in the retail field. In addition, O'Hagin's low profile would be out of code in most municipalities which require a curb on the flashing that extends above the roofing material by a specified amount. This curb requirement was adhered to by Quarles in his U.S. Pat. No. 7,386,958, B2, in 2008.

An additional objection that applies to all commercial flashings in use currently, is their lack of universal application. That is, that many of them can't be used with all type of roof materials. Some can be used with composition roofs only, some with Spanish tile roofs only, some with concrete shingles only, but none of them with all types. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,031 B2 to O'Hagin, which specifies for tile roofs. This lack of universality is a detriment to homeowners who may like a product but may not be able to have it on their roof since it is not compatible with their specific roof material.

SUMMARY

The present invention is an improved flashing used in the installation of a commercial sunlighting system. A galvanized metal flashing is comprised of an outer frame with two outer walls tilted at a 5 degree angle off of vertical and an inner plate angled at 15 degrees off of horizontal, having a center hole to accommodate a commercial sunlight tube.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, the objects and advantages of our invention are:

-   -   (a) An inner pitch plate that allows for a straight vertical         rigid sunlight tube connection, eliminating the need for costly         knuckle and angle pieces to be added to the sunlight tube,         producing an easier installation process.     -   (b) It provides a metal flashing that is long lasting and not         subject to warping or cracking, which condition is common in         most plastic flashings     -   (c) A square, low profile design is created, that most (if not         all) homeowners want over the high profile, round bubble         currently available.     -   (d) The elimination of the need for the less effective         “accordion” type sunlight tube.     -   (e) A flashing that can be installed on any shape of roof         (including a flat roof), with any type of roofing material         (composition, tile, shake, concrete shake).     -   (f) A flashing with a curb height that conforms to all         construction codes.     -   (g) A flashing that is more efficient, less complicated, and         easier to connect to the commercial sunlighting system.     -   (h) A flashing that end users immediately select over the high         profile, (in most cases 15 inches high) round plastic bubble         flashing.     -   (i) A low profile dome, which allows more sunlight to enter the         tube, assisting people who suffer from S.A.D. (seasonal         affective disorder) during winter months, eliminating the need         to add a reflective plate to the dome, (reflective plates needed         to trap sunlight on most competition tube systems).

An additional feature of the present invention is the formation of a water curb at two side edges of the base plate of said flashing, which prevent rain water from traveling in a sideways direction and slipping between the roof composition and the black felt material under it. No other flashing on the market has said water curb as a safety feature.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of flashing (12) with added modified acrylic outer dome (24) center hole (20) in inner pitch plate (16) and attached rigid sunlight tube (22)

FIG. 2 shows isometric view of flashing (12) with outer angled sidewall (14) inner pitch plate (16) and center hole (20)

FIG. 3 shows front view of flashing

FIG. 4 shows isometric view of flashing with water traps (26) formed along two edges of flashing base.

FIG. 5 shows side view of flashing with inner pitch plate (16) and sidewalls (14) with pitch angles

FIG. 6 shows the entire sunlighting unit, from roof to ceiling, including the flashing assembly (12), pitch plate (16), sunlight tube (22), and a diffuser plate (10) on the inner ceiling to diffuse or spread incoming sunlight.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS 10 Ceiling diffuser plate 12 Flashing assembly 14 Angled sidewalls of flashing 16 Inner pitch plate 20 Hole in inner pitch plate 22 Rigid sunlight tube 24 Modified acrylic outer dome 26 Water curb

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The physical features of the present invention are as follows: A flashing assembly is fabricated comprised of four sidewalls and a baseplate, shown in Detail 12, FIG. 1. Detail 16, FIG. 5 shows a pitch plate welded in on the inside of said flashing assembly. Said plate has a center hole shown in detail 20, FIG. 2. The 15 degree angle position of said plate puts it on a horizontal plane when the flashing is installed on the roof. Said horizontal position of said plate is essential to connect sunlight tube in a vertical position, thus allowing for a straight connection to the ceiling as shown in FIG. 6. Two outer opposing walls of the flashing shown in detail 14 in FIG. 5 are tilted at a 5 degree angle to create a clearance for the rigid sunlight tube as it extends down through said flashing, as shown in FIG. 6. The walls of said flashing above said pitch plate are painted silver to act as reflectors in low light conditions. Two edges of the flashing base, as shown in Detail 26 of FIG. 4, are formed into a curb to prevent rainwater from traveling horizontally between roof composition and felt material. Said metal flashing is square in shape, allowing for a low profile roof appearance (7 inches at highest point). The use of galvanized metal in the makeup of said flashing allows the company to give a 50 year warranty on the life of the product (as opposed to competitors who give a ten year warranty on their flashing).

Operation

The metal flashing assembly (det.12, FIG. 6) is centered over a pre-cut hole in the roof, under the roofing material, but over the black felt, or membrane, covering the wood paneling of said roof. Said flashing assembly is then screwed down to said roof. A sunlight tube is positioned up through the center hole (det.20) in the inner pitch plate (det.16) extending above hole by approximately 1.5 inches. Vertical slits are created at 1 inch intervals around the perimeter of said extended tube, producing tabs that are folded into a flat condition on the surface of said pitch plate, producing a support connection between said flashing and sunlight tube. Rigid sunlight tube is then extended down in a vertical direction from said flashing to connect to a receiving collar around a hole in the inner ceiling. A diffuser plate (det.10) is attached to said collar, using rare earth magnets, said diffuser plate spreading incoming sunlight. A modified acrylic dome (det. 24),having a superior weatherability rating, is added to the top of said flashing with a seal of EPDM to prevent leakage or heat transmission into the system.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF INVENTION

Thus the reader will see that the unique, yet simple design and construction of this flashing produces an assembly that fits all roof angles (including flat roofs), is compatible with all roofing materials (tile, shakes, composition, concrete tile, etc.), produces a vertical tube position, allowing for a straight line connection to the ceiling, and gives an extremely low profile (but code acceptable) appearance that is desirable to homeowners and homeowner associations. This flashing has been on the market since October of 2012 and is a commercial success. 

1. We claim a square, manufactured metal roof flashing with two pitches (angles) that allow the flashing to connect to a commercial metal tube to project sunlight down into a room below the roof. 1) One pitch (angle) is in the form of a plate welded inside the flashing assembly, tilted at a 15 degree angle, which allows the commercial tube that connects to it, to go down in a straight vertical angle to the room below. 2) the second pitch (angle) is created in two vertical sides of the flashing box to allow the tube to clear or go past the sidewall of the flashing when it sits on the roof at an angle: These angled sides are situated at the “uphill” and “downhill” sides of the square box. We also claim a low profile design which allows our flashing to be installed on roofs in areas that have “homeowner associations” which will not allow our competitors to install their high profile flashings on roofs in their areas. A final claim is that we have a unique flashing that can be used on any roof, compatible with any roofing material, composition, tile, ceramic, shake, metal. There is no need to add extra skirting to our flashing to make it effective. All other competitors must add special skirts or other additions to their flashings to keep them from leaking, or having other problems with certain roofing materials. 